India to deploy Akash air defense missile systems in northeast of the country against Chinese threat

Posted On
Saturday, 23 August 2014 07:51

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Defence & Security News - India

Saturday, August
23, 2014 09:56 AM

India
to deploy Akash air defense missile systems in northeast of the country
against Chinese threats

India
has now begun deploying six Akash surface-to-air missile (SAM) squadrons
in the northeast of the country in case of threats by Chinese jets, helicopters
and drones against any misadventure in the region. Indian Defence ministry
sources on Thursday, August 21, 2014. Indian Air Force has started getting
deliveries of the six Akash missile squadrons, which can "neutralize"
multiple targets at 25-km interception range in all-weather conditions,
earmarked for the eastern theatre.

Indian-made
Akash Surface-to-Air defense missile system.

"Indian
Air Force (IAF) has deployed the first two Akash squadrons at the Mirage-2000
base in Gwalior and Sukhoi base in Pune. The next six squadrons, as approved
by the Cabinet Committee on Security, are to guard against any threat
from the northern borders," said a source.

This long-delayed but finally
successful induction of the Akash systems, developed by DRDO and manufactured
by defence PSU Bharat Dynamics, has also led to scrapping of the protracted
discussions to develop the 'Maitri' short-range SAMs with France at
a cost of around Rs 30,000 crore.

The Akash deployment in the
northeast is in tune with the overall plan to progressively achieve
"meaningful and credible deterrence" against China along the
4,057-km Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Akash is an Indian-made developed medium-range mobile surface-to-air
missile defense system, developed as part of Integrated Missile Development
Programme of the 1980s. The missiles have been developed by Defence
Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) along with 13 other DRDO
labs and manufactured by defence PSU Bharat Dynamics Limited. Its launchers
were developed by a DRDO lab and produced by Tata Power and L&T.

The Akash surface-to-air missile system has an interception range of
30 km and can target an aircraft up to 30 km and at altitudes up to
18,000 metres. It is capable of destroying both aircraft and warheads
from ballistic missiles if it is equipped with a nuclear warhead. It
can carry warhead of about 60 kg.